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1941 1942 1943 California License Plate V Victory Tab Cal-Aero Academy Topper

$ 56.76

Availability: 100 in stock
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
  • Condition: Patina commensurate with age and usage. Plate frame is cracked/split but plates and tabs are intact. Needs a thorough cleaning.
  • All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
  • State: California
  • Modified Item: No

    Description

    An amazing all-original unrestored 1943 California license plate assembly with original Cal-Aero Academy plate topper, all still put together exactly as last used on a car.
    1941 base plate 43Z232, 1942 full-width yellow strip tab, 1943 "V" victory tab 390251
    Topper reads CAL-AERO ACADEMY GLENDALE - ONTARIO - OXNARD - CALIF. The academy opened before WW2 as a civilian flight training school and later trained Army Air Force pilots through 1944. It operated at the three airports listed on the topper, two of which are still functioning.
    In theory this assembly would have been useable in 1944 as well if accompanied by a paper 1944 windshield registration sticker, an item unique to that year in California.
    The frame is an original Charles Even frame, patented by Charles in the 1920s in Southern California and was one of the earliest widely-produced license plate frame designs, invented to keep plates protected and rigid while avoiding rattles. It is cracked in two places and may separate into two parts if disassembled.
    The mounting bracket is for an unknown car type.